


You’ve Got Everything Going for You, So I’ll Go for You with Everything I Got

by SEpupppupp (ForNought)



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, plagarism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 22:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13937028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForNought/pseuds/SEpupppupp
Summary: Woojin makes an offer that Jihoon can't refuse and things go downhill from there





	You’ve Got Everything Going for You, So I’ll Go for You with Everything I Got

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [TMYOUTHFW](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/TMYOUTHFW) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
> jihoon has had a crush on woojin ever since their high school days. woojin was known as the school's playboy while jihoon is an unknown in the school population. he's somewhat like a nerd, with majority of the student body not knowing who he is. so jihoon only likes woojin from afar. 
> 
> one day, woojin approached jihoon with a deal. he asked if jihoon would finish his assignments and projects for him and in exchange, woojin will do what jihoon wants, aka bring him food every lunch (and probably eat together with him, this boy's a flirt i swear) since woojin knows jihoon likes to eat (how did he even know). jihoon can’t process anything since he can only hear his heart thumping in his chest, yet he still agreed to it.

“You’re Park Jihoon, right?”

Jihoon chokes on his orange juice. He knows that he is Park Jihoon so he doesn’t choke because he is surprised about that. The reason he is spluttering and heaving citrus out of his lungs, eyes watering and chest burning at the acidity raking its way through him, is because of the person who is asking after his identity.

Park Woojin took a seat without even asking as he asked his question so now he is looking half-alarmed in the seat opposite as Jihoon attempts to revive himself. Woojin and Jihoon went to the same high school so it shouldn’t be too unusual that they know each other, aside from the fact that Woojin was the guy everyone wanted and Jihoon was a nameless component of ‘everyone’.

There wasn't a single time their paths crossed in the past and attending the same university - enrolling on the same project management degree course - is little more than the cosmos throwing Jihoon's hopeless crush back in his face. He has already spent the first two months here doing the same thing he did back in school, projecting his daydreams at the back of Woojin's head and only feeling a little bit sorry for himself when he finds his chest aching with the news that Woojin is dating someone else. Jihoon doesn't put too much stock in the rumour mill but hearing the possibility that Woojin has made himself even more unavailable is enough for Jihoon to console himself by digging to the bottom of a tub of ice cream and justifying it with a thoughtless review on his blog.

Jihoon just about manages to stop choking and decides to buy himself an emergency tub of ice cream on the way home today. No matter the outcome of speaking directly to Park Woojin for the first time Jihoon is already sure it could have gone better.

“I am Jihoon. How can I help you, Woojin?”

Woojin grins and a facial expression shouldn't do so much to Jihoon's chest.

“You already know who I am,” Woojin remarks. Jihoon really wishes that was a question. But the inflection isn't there so Jihoon instead tries to gloss over the situation by rearranging the food on his tray.

“We went to the same high school.”

“I thought so but nobody else has been able to tell me anything about you. Except for the fact that you're smart. The tutors all seem to like you.”

The tutors do like Jihoon but that is because he asks questions during lectures and has notes to discuss during tutorial. He has a few regrets from high school and not having any friends is just the tip of the iceberg. He just about scraped together the marks to get on this project management course during Clearing and his disappointment at not quite making the grade for civil engineering didn't seem so bad when he walked into the freshers induction week to see Park Woojin lounging at the back of the room. But now he isn't sure whether that is such a good thing.

“Why did you want to know about me?” Jihoon asks. His mouth feels dry and his voice rasps out of his throat embarrassingly. He isn't too fond of choking again but he sips more orange juice anyway. Woojin looks mildly uncomfortable as though he isn't expecting his inquisitiveness to be questioned.

“Do you ever get lonely, Jihoon?”

Jihoon does get lonely no matter how many times he reminds himself that he is at university for a degree and not to get upset over barely making enough of an impression for anyone to want to be his friend. He isn't here for a jam-packed social life and a cheesy and a exciting romance. He is here to get a qualification and get himself a good job.

Even though Woojin is practically a stranger it doesn't feel right to lie to him about this. He seems a lot closer than the stranger that he is. Jihoon has spent an embarrassing amount of time getting to know him in his head. They've gone to the arcade and eaten pizza and lazed about and not done much of anything and had philosophical discussions in the smallest hours of the night and had first kisses and hundreds more after that. So in some ways, from Jihoon's perspective, they aren't quite the strangers that they could be.

So Jihoon nods his head. “Yeah. I get lonely sometimes.”

Woojin leans in - his shoulders hunch over as though there is any reason for him to try to take up less of the space at Jihoon's table nestled between the more populated tables of the people with friends, as though he wants to minimise his presence and remind Jihoon where he stands. To remind jihoon that he is lonely - and says, “So if you're lonely, do you think you want some help with that?”

Jihoon chokes again. He isn't making the best impression. He thumps himself on the chest and Woojin looks around awkwardly. Jihoon knows that he is being embarrassing and he would love to stop choking every time Woojin speaks to him but Woojin should perhaps not say such surprising things to him.

Jihoon's eyes sting and his nose feels raw from the acidic burn of orange juice hacking the wrong route inside his head. But he can breathe a bit easier and he thinks he will stick to water from now on.

“What do you mean by helping me?”

Woojin scratches the back of his neck and shrugs. “You could help me out with something too.”

“Anything!” Jihoon knows how he sounds, painfully desperate while promising himself too quickly with his eyes red and stinging so he cuts an even more pathetic figure than he usually does. But he doesn't take it back. Perhaps Woojin will appreciate the enthusiasm and won't dislike him for something like this.

“So you're smart and I am less smart. Like, our assignments are already killing me and my parents aren't going to be too happy to be paying for me to fail out of uni in the first year,” Woojin says very quickly. Jihoon can just about keep up. Woojin takes a breath. “I wouldn't mind if we could help each other out. I will try to help you feel less lonely if you do my assignments for me.”

Jihoon hardly knows what this means but he agrees before he can think too deeply on it. This is his chance to be friends with Park Woojin.

 

***

 

Nothing much changes and Jihoon supposes it is all a joke. He and Woojin had swapped numbers on that first day when Woojin made the offer but since then there hasn’t been any contact. Jihoon, unsure of how serious the arrangement is, has slowly been working on their first assignments and trying not to mind that he is as insignificant as ever during lectures. The work isn’t anything too serious and is just a formative research report on certain factors which could influence timescales for construction projects.

In the draw for topics Jihoon had been given climate while Woojin had been given local communities. Jihoon is mostly annoyed that Woojin couldn’t have picked an easier topic, especially when it isn’t even certain that Woojin will show any sort of recognition of him. He works on his own and throws a few paragraphs into the document he has for Woojin’s and supposes it still benefits him to research multiple topics which can be referenced in the graded summative assignments.

It is the day before the assignments are due in that Woojin calls Jihoon asking him whether he has completed the assignment. Jihoon’s fingertips still over the keyboard and the letters he had typed for his next blog post become a jumble of nothingness, much like Jihoon’s mind.

“Yeah, I just finished it an hour ago,” Jihoon says as he fiddles with his laptop charger. It feels strange, sitting at his desk in his pyjamas and talking on the phone to the guy he spent his last year of high school daydreaming about. He feels young again, uncertain of what he is allowed to even think because the guy who was liked by everyone is finally talking to him.

“That’s great,” Woojin says. “Thanks for doing this for me, Jihoon.”

“Yeah,” Jihoon shrugs even though Woojin can’t see him affect an affable air. “It was nothing. Do you want me to email you your report now?”

“What? No. We should meet up tomorrow and submit the reports together. We can go for a coffee afterwards.”

Jihoon is glad he isn’t eating or drinking anything that he could choke on. His can of cola sits delightfully untouched beside his laptop but that doesn’t mean Jihoon is any more capable of formulating an adequate response. He shifts in his seat and winces at the awkward creaking of his seat.

“You want to go out for coffee?” Jihoon asks.

“Yeah. It’s part of the deal we made. Unless you don’t want to. We could think of something else another time.”

“Oh, yeah.” Jihoon doesn’t see how he will fare well when he is face to face with Woojin and he is forced even further out of his comfort zone than he is right now. He is struggling while he is in his own room in the halls of residence and this arrangement was probably a mistake in the first place. But he supposes even if he isn’t sure how to go about talking to Woojin he has already put effort into doing one of his assignments. He sighs and hopes the odd crackle of the phone is enough to mask his apprehension. “We may as well meet up tomorrow. I don’t have any other plans.”

“You don’t have to sound so excited about it,” Woojin retorts.

“What do you want me to say?” Jihoon asks. “I have never been more enthralled by the idea of going out for coffee with someone, Park Woojin, you really bring such excitement and purpose to my life.”

“That’s more like it,” Woojin says cheerily. “We should meet at the library tomorrow. There isn’t a proper deadline, right? I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“The deadline is at four pm,” Jihoon says. “We could meet at the study hub at midday to get everything submitted and then do whatever afterwards.”

Woojin snorts loudly and Jihoon wonders whether this is the part where Woojin makes fun of him for being so enthusiastically pathetic and putting the effort in just for a tiny bit of attention that he hasn’t even received yet. But then Woojin says, “Please don’t call it the study hub, it’s a library.”

“Alright,” Jihoon replies, “except it is called the study hub so calling it a library is wrong.”

“If you’re going to bring your teacher’s pet side this strongly tomorrow then you’re paying for your own drink.”

Oh. Jihoon hadn’t even assumed that was the offer, Woojin buying his drink for him. It is silly to feel winded from just that, as though Woojin is in front of him and swinging his arm with enough clout to make Jihoon’s lungs burn. Jihoon must be cursed. There is no other explanation for his inability to breathe properly whenever he speaks to Woojin. It would be nice to get rid of the curse before he must talk to Woojin face to face and have the proximity exacerbate his breathless responses.

Jihoon clears his throat and pretends he isn’t currently googling methods to break a curse.

“Jihoon?” Woojin asks softly.

“Yeah? Yeah, what’s up?” Jihoon says, cool as a cucumber (or a lemon because google tells him it is an easily to hand ingredient to help break curses).

“I was just joking, you know. I already know you’re a teacher’s pet. I wouldn’t hold that against you.”

There is something about Woojin’s voice which settles oddly in Jihoon’s chest as it scrapes its way over the inflammations caused by the dozens of times Jihoon has found himself choking.

“Are you trying to be nice to me?” Jihoon asks. He had hoped to sound slightly more sensitive than that but there is a jeer in his tone which has Woojin scoffing defensively on the other end of the line.

“No way! Why would I?”

“I don’t know you just sounded like you thought you hurt my feelings or something.”

“Absolutely not. If your feelings got hurt that’s your own problem,” Woojin asserts.

“My feelings didn’t get hurt though.”

“Good!” Woojin blusters. Then, “not that I care! I have to go, Jihoon, I’ll see you tomorrow at the study - at the _library_.”

“Ew, you totally almost called it the study hub,” Jihoon points out.

“I didn’t. I’m really going now. Good night!”

“Good night,” Jihoon says. It takes Woojin a moment too long to hang up but he eventually does. It feels almost easy, like they’re just ordinary friends getting along and it has always been this way.

The next morning, Jihoon regrets his complacency. He waits near the entrance to the study hub and isn’t at all surprised that Woojin is late. Woojin looks entirely at ease when he does finally arrive, effortless flippance ruffling his hair with the breaths of the breeze. Jihoon is absolutely fine and has no trouble breathing at all.

“You like doughnuts, right?” Woojin asks in lieu of a greeting. Jihoon _does_ like doughnuts but he feels off axis as he accepts the paper bag being pressed into his arms.

“Good morning, Woojin.”

“Morning. So, the doughnuts?”

“They’re lovely, thanks,” Jihoon replies without even checking what sort of doughnuts they are. He puts them in his bag and thinks about how he is going to eat them all in a span of five minutes when he gets home. Woojin shrugs like he doesn’t particularly care (which is likely true) and he is businesslike about ensuring Jihoon has both of their assignments to hand in.

It is probably strange for Jihoon to be surprised that Woojin doesn’t pretend not to know him after they have printed off the assignments and handed them in. Woojin even holds both of their receipts and starts comparing their handwriting.

“You’re as bad as me,” Woojin says almost gleefully. “You’re so good and particular about everything but your handwriting is awful.”

“Does it matter? Everything is typed on a computer these days,” Jihoon reasons.

“Yeah but… look at this! You can't have been taught to write like this at school. It's like seeing a feral child trying to write. I need to see you write again. Do you even know how to hold a pen?” Woojin asks.

Jihoon already knows that Woojin is loud, that is his thing, intermittently shrieking loudly and babbling too quickly for Jihoon’s nosiness to keep up with. But he hasn’t ever imagined that he would be able to walk alongside Park Woojin and wish for him to stop talking. But Jihoon can endure this for a while so that he can remember this day when Woojin has someone else to do his assignments for him.

Woojin keeps up his shocked assessment of Jihoon’s handwriting all the way to a cafe near the campus. Coffee wasn’t lunch but Jihoon supposed he couldn’t make any complaints. It was good enough as favours went.

Jihoon wasn’t really a coffee drinker so he has no idea how to respond when they reach the front of the queue and Woojin turns to him and asks, “What are you having?”

Jihoon squints at the menu board for a moment. Of all the places Jihoon had stared at awkwardly while Woojin replied to messages from his friends, there hadn’t been anywhere useful that he had looked. And now he has to make a snap decision. He goes with what he assumes is the simplest thing. “I’ll have an americano, please.”

“That’s boring,” Woojin says right before saying, “I’ll have an iced mocha, please.”

It is a strange reaction to have for just a simple statement but Jihoon can’t help but snort with laughter at that. Woojin frowns as he pays and hands over a reward card to get stamped.

“What’s so funny?”

“You may as well have ordered a milkshake, I don’t think there’s that much difference,” Jihoon snickers.

“Oh, are you a barista now? Are you an expert and that’s why you chose a dumb, boring coffee?”

Jihoon lives to regret his teasing immediately after they receive their drinks. Jihoon has never really drank coffee before. He has tried coffee flavoured food such as chocolates and ice cream at the recommendation of a friend online but they were all very tasty and sweet and led to discussions about other flavours that they could recommend to each other. If Jihoon could contact Haknyeon right now he would have to ask whether he knew actual coffee was this bitter and unpalatable.

“What’s wrong?” Woojin asks from across the table when he notices Jihoon’s reaction to his first sip.

“Nothing,” Jihoon says. “I just forgot that I need the toilet.”

“You’re taking your drink with you?” Woojin asks pointedly.

“Uh, yeah. I love it that much,” Jihoon says unconvincingly.

Woojin grins and watches as Jihoon takes his drink to the counter and grabs handfuls of sugar sachets and pots of milk to get rid of the foul taste of coffee out of the cup. Woojin doesn’t say anything about it as Jihoon returns with a drink which is easier to drink despite still tasting as awful as before. Instead Woojin is focused on trying to work out who Jihoon was actually friends with at school by using only Jihoon’s vague acknowledgements as clues.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Woojin is curious and Jihoon tries to hold off on admitting that he never had any friends at school just the same way as he doesn’t have any friends now. Woojin eventually seems to realise it when he has finished running through the names of people Jihoon wishes weren’t so familiar. Woojin quiets down and awkwardly sips from his iced mocha.

Jihoon should be thankful for this much.

  
***

 

“Are you busy?”

Jihoon pulls his phone away from his ear and checks the name on the display. It is definitely Woojin but Jihoon isn’t sure why it would be. He presses his phone back to his ear but he can’t think of anything to say, not that he would currently be able to force any words through the confusion of getting a call at lunchtime a week later.

“Jihoon, are you there?” Woojin asks. Jihoon still doesn’t know what to say but Woojin must hear the cadence of his breath and deems it enough of a response to continue talking. “I have some vouchers for pizza and I bet you could do with some brain food to help you out with our next assignments.”

“You think pizza is brain food?” Jihoon asks quietly. Woojin chuckles gently and Jihoon thinks it might not be so bad.

“There are tomatoes. They count as fruit _and_ vegetables. It’s really healthy,” Woojin says.

Jihoon isn’t busy. He is never busy, so he agrees to meet Woojin. Woojin is waiting for Jihoon outside the pizza shop wearing a navy peacoat and his hair is swept back from his forehead and he looks far too good for a student who can’t put in the effort to do his own work. Jihoon hates it because everything he wanted in high school is almost coming true. It could be a date. Jihoon could be on a date with Woojin.

“This could be a date,” Jihoon says like the idiot he is when they are sitting at a table with a deep pan pizza between them. Woojin scoffs as he reaches for his cola and chugs the can. It takes enough time for Jihoon to mentally chastise himself and wonder how much longer he must suffer his own idiocy.

“What are you talking about?” Woojin asks.

“I just mean it would be nice to bring someone on a date here,” Jihoon says.

Woojin looks around and settles on frowning at Jihoon. “Here?”

It was a fair comment. It was a cheap little fast food joint where they had to struggle to find seats without rips in them and the hygiene rating is only a 3 out of 5. There isn’t much in the way of romantic ambience aside from the grime music barely audible over the clattering and beeping from the kitchen.

“The pizza is good,” Jihoon says quietly as he snaps a few pictures of the pizza with his phone.

“I am so glad we’re not dating. Or maybe we should date if your standards are this low,” Woojin muses. “You’d be a really cheap date, especially with all the vouchers I have for this place.”

Jihoon laughs but he realises there is no way he can continue this topic of conversation. It is bad enough that Woojin has taken him out somewhere public to eat. He brings up their next assignment and even though Woojin looks surprised it is enough for him to go on at length about how boring all the assignments are.

Woojin claims to think that project management is boring and he hates it yet he can go on for hours about the course requirements, and his gripes with the tutors, and how he probably doesn’t even want to get into construction. Even if he retreads ground he is funny and Jihoon is sure that he doesn’t only laugh because he still sort of fancies Woojin.

It is probably because he fancies Woojin. Jihoon spends a lot of time laughing when he is with Woojin. It is definitely because he fancies Woojin.

There are several other occasions when Jihoon laughs too much when they are out for lunch but Woojin seems to like it. The thing is, Jihoon laughs too much at other times too. He finds himself snickering along with Woojin’s friends even though he is on the other side of the room during lectures and he finds himself remembering things Woojin has said when he is trying to write up their reports.

Having a friend isn’t so bad, not like this when it is Woojin who he has admired from afar for far too long. But then Jihoon is midway to a breakdown when he gets his marks back for his summative assessment.

It wasn’t a problem when the formative assessments he handed in for both himself and Woojin were mostly Cs because a few greasy burgers and soggy chips would be enough to motivate Jihoon to put more effort into the assignments that matter. It proves not to be true when Jihoon comes back from the break to find that he and Woojin both got low Cs for their summative assignments too.

“Nice,” Woojin says we he glances over at Jihoon’s feedback sheet.

It isn’t nice at all but Jihoon can’t say that when Woojin is obviously trying to act like this is a result he is happy with.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t have a higher grade,” Jihoon says as he swallows back his own disappointment. Maybe next time he would do better for both of them.

“This is better than I could have hoped for,” Woojin says. “We only have to pass the first year. I wasn’t even sure I could do that much on my own.”

Jihoon is certain he could do more than scrape a pass.

  
***

 

“Hey, Jihoon, I’m glad you could stay for a chat.”

Jihoon didn’t think he had much choice when the main course tutor loudly suggested that students with lower than predicted grades come to speak with him for one-to-one meetings and then specifically asked Jihoon to have an in-depth chat.

Jihoon still feels strange about the casual way he is expected to address his course tutors with their first names because they’re all adults here and it is about comfortably working together. He doesn’t feel comfortable at all even when Jonghyun gives a smile which is a shade too awkward to be considered kind.

“You can relax,” Jonghyun smiles. “You’re not in trouble or anything.”

Jihoon chuckles nervously but his hands are wedged beneath his thighs as he sits across the desk from his course tutor.

“I just wanted to see where you are with everything,” Jonghyun says.

“I’m good,” Jihoon says. “Everything’s fine. I think I am managing.”

Jonghyun nods and Jihoon is struck with the notion that Jonghyun can see straight through the generic platitude. It doesn't come as too much of a surprise when Jonghyun sighs. “Are you managing as well as you expected to? Only you work so hard and you always talk things over with me and the other tutors to ensure that you are doing everything the best that you can. In your first few assignments you were getting the and equivalent of high As. Now your marks have slipped a lot and I really don't want to see someone who showed so much promise struggle when I know that I could help them.”

Jihoon hates how he feels guilty, like he has done something awful to Jonghyun by not maintaining higher standards when he is just as disappointed in himself for not doing well. He is even more disappointed in himself for the way he shrugs at Jonghyun's concern. It clearly comes from a genuinely kind place and it sounds as though he is offering more than he should (perhaps extensions and advice on resources and proofreading of assignments are all the benefits of being a struggling teacher's pet) but Jihoon is too proud and too embarrassed to accept the help.

“I'm fine,” Jihoon says. As soon as the words come out of his mouth he wants to apologise for being short. But he hates the way Jonghyun made a point of pulling him aside at the end of tutorial to have this chat about Jihoon being a disappointment. “I guess I am not as smart as we thought I was.”

“That's not what I am saying, Jihoon. I just don't want things to get on top of you and have you end up in bad position.”

“Right,” Jihoon replies, feeling more and more annoyed with himself for taking on something he couldn't handle. “Are you having these meetings with other people too, or am I the only one disappointing you enough to need this conversation?”

“Jihoon-”

Hearing the reproach in Jonghyun's voice is too much and Jihoon takes it upon himself to leave without another word. He doesn't have to walk far down the corridor before he encounters Woojin leaning against one of the classrooms in the corridor.

All the choler has dissolved from Jihoon’s mind and he is instead flooded with the question of whether it is alright to talk to Woojin now. They were just in tutorial together but Woojin had left with his other friends while Jihoon had to have the meeting with Jonghyun. To see him waiting here is odd and it might be a bother for Jihoon to approach him now. But at a time like this Jihoon is feeling sorry for himself and he wants some company even if it is company he is never certain of.

“Woojin,” Jihoon says. Woojin doesn’t react and Jihoon steels himself as he pats Woojin’s arm. Woojin flinches and pulls his headphones off with half a smile.

“Are you done?” Woojin asks.

“Were you waiting for me?” Jihoon asks. It is embarrassing to ask but he doesn’t know whether Woojin would be waiting for anyone else.

Woojin shrugs. That doesn’t make Jihoon feel any better but he pretends not to mind it. They start walking along the corridor together and Jihoon’s head feels stuffy. There is so much that he wants to talk about - he just needs half an hour to vent his frustrations - but Woojin is not the right person. Jihoon can’t say any of what he is thinking he tries to focus his mind on something that will help him to cope until he returns to the halls of residence.

“Are you busy right now?”

“We’re going for lunch now, aren’t we?” Woojin asks with eyebrows rising to hide beneath his fringe.

Jihoon hadn’t thought that to be the case and it is his turn to shrug. Irritation at himself is building up and even without being able to vent his frustrations he needs something to take off the edge. It is especially true if he is expected to sit across a table from Woojin with a free lunch while wondering whether any of this is worth it.

“Woojin, can we go somewhere different for lunch?”

“I probably don’t have vouchers for anywhere good,” Woojin says warily.

“I can buy my own lunch for once. I could even treat you. It would just be nice to go somewhere different together.”

Woojin makes a face and shakes his head. “I wasn’t saying it because I’m not going to buy you lunch. I was just… surprised.” Woojin opens the door at the end of the corridor and lets Jihoon walk through first before they trot down the stairs together. At the foot of the stairs Woojin says, “I’m not busy today. We should do more than just lunch.”

Jihoon agrees even though he had already mentally made plans to vent to Haknyeon about how difficult things were getting. As much as he wants to rant about Jonghyun asking him whether he can cope, and the fact that the only way he can talk to Woojin is by breaking the rules, he wants to reach out and hold onto this part of Woojin that he is allowed.

On the bus, Woojin slides into the seat beside Jihoon. Woojin fiddles with his phone for a bit before putting his headphones into his bag. He grins at Jihoon and it is a little bit awkward sitting side by side like this even if they have sat across dozens of tables and eaten with each other. Jihoon has spent far too many of those lunches avoiding Woojin’s gaze and trying to work out how to pick his way around topics he can’t help himself from bringing up. He wonders whether Woojin can tell that about him, that he knows Jihoon is always an impulse away from bringing up that big fat crush that never went away. He returns Woojin’s smile, though his face aches enough that he knows the shaky smile he wears isn’t a particularly friendly gesture.

But it is enough.

“Do you mind where we eat today?” Woojin asks.

“I don’t mind,” Jihoon says. “Just. Somewhere different would be nice.”

“Cool. We could go and see a movie and see if they have any vouchers for food places,” Woojin suggests.

“What is it with you and vouchers?” Jihoon asks.

“Uh, it’s called being sensible? I’m not going to pay full-price for a meal and then have to live on pot noodles for the rest of the month. Don't think that I am like you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Woojin rolls his eyes. “It's not good to buy an expensive meal because you heard it is supposed to be good and then have to starve yourself until your budget allows you to do the same thing all over again.”

Jihoon wishes he didn't have to be so close to Woojin when all he wants to do is wither away and not resurface for a long time. He likes to try good food. He knows Haknyeon is in the same boat, wherever he is, splurging on gourmet burgers and giant pizzas, and overly-complicated drinks and uploading proof shots on Instagram for the world to see. It is only natural that they have to cut back where they can to be able to eat out and make posts reviewing the dishes and the general mood of the places they visit.

“That's an exaggeration,” Jihoon grumbles defensively.

“Yeah, well eating food with no nutritional value is even worse than not eating at all,” Woojin retorts.

“Why do you even care what I eat?” Jihoon asks. What he really wants to know is how Woojin knows what he eats but he just about manages not to ask a question with a potentially bad answer.

Woojin hesitates and all over again Jihoon is wondering whether he is being too obvious. But Woojin shrugs. “I am just thinking about my investment. I don't want you damaging yourself just so you can take a few pictures. I want to pass this year, not scrape my way into failing.”

Jihoon doesn't respond to that. He has an answer he doesn't want without even having to ask the question. He shouldn't have expected anything less than that.

Jihoon can't quite let go of the disappointment even after they get off the bus. There aren't any films that Woojin or Jihoon are interested in watching and Jihoon can't even be bothered to grumble about the lack of anything interesting (including Woojin's suggestion to walk around the shops for a bit until they find somewhere with a late lunch offer. The opportunity is right there for Jihoon to tease Woojin about his insistence on getting a good deal but Jihoon doesn't feel like it and walks wherever Woojin's whims take them).

“Do you want to look at some books?” Woojin asks as he points at a bookshop. Jihoon doesn't want to look at some books. He does enough reading and even that has resulted in him being unable to manage everything. Jihoon just wants to switch his brain off for a while. But he shrugs and Woojin leads the way into the bookshop anyway.

Somehow Jihoon finds himself annoyed that Woojin doesn't even intend to look at books himself. Instead he is nudging at stuffed animals on a display and holding them up and murmuring under his breath at them. To make matters worse Jihoon is certain that Woojin is talking to the toys in various voices.

“What are you doing?” Jihoon finally asks when he can’t even pretend to distract himself by refreshing a handful of apps on his phone. Woojin looks up, surprised as though he hadn’t realised Jihoon had continued to exist while he conversed with the toys, but he grins and presents him with a fuzzy pink bunny.

“Hello!” Woojin says in a growly voice which doesn’t really fit with the doe eyes and babypink fur.

“I’m not going to play with you,” Jihoon grumbles.

“Doesn’t this remind you of someone?” Woojin asks. “Someone who is cute but grumpy and loves to eat?”

Jihoon narrows his eyes. He doesn’t like where this is going. Either Woojin just called Jihoon cute or he called someone else cute and Jihoon doesn’t want to explore that any further. He grabs a toy at random, a turquoise penguin with bulging eyes and a crinkling orange beak. He doesn't put too much thought into the voice he gives the penguin, just affects a nasal squawk and hopes it rustles Woojin’s feathers.

“I’m Park Woojin and I never shut the hell up!”

For a moment Woojin looks taken-aback. And then the expression passes and he holds the bunny up more insistently. “I’m Park Jihoon and I can’t be honest and admit that I love the sound of Woojin’s beautiful voice.”

“Shut up!” Jihoon hisses. Woojin raises his eyebrows and Jihoon begrudgingly plays along, waving the penguin’s little wings as he says, “Ah, I really need to shut my big fat stupid mouth.”

“Why would you do that, Woojin, my love?”

“I realise I can be very annoying! How I get through each day without getting hit is really a mystery!”

Woojin grins but is very serious about responding. “Maybe you’re right, Woojin, maybe I should hit you! Oh! But instead of using my hand I used my mouth. And I hit your mouth! Does that count as a kiss?”

Jihoon had already known that playing along would be a bad idea. He puts the toy penguin back on the display and leaves the bookshop. Jihoon didn’t need to be told just how obvious he was about his feelings. It is something he can’t help no matter how long the feelings have gone unreciprocated. He knows he is alone in this and even if Woojin is reacting with humour rather than irritation (likely because of the favour, or the deal, whatever their arrangement is supposed to be at this point) it isn’t enough for Jihoon to be able to swallow his pride.

Nothing about today is going well and Jihoon wonders whether being so desperate to be noticed deserves punishment like this.

Even if Jihoon is embarrassed and frustrated and he wants to go home he regrets storming out of the shop. He stand outside the shop, at a loss for what to do, and considers that Woojin is hiding inside the shop until Jihoon leaves just to avoid the situation. Jihoon doesn’t know what he would do if that happened to be the case but Woojin joins him a few minutes later. He looks surprised to see Jihoon lingering alone on the highstreet but he grins at Jihoon and pats him on the back as he starts to walk.

“I went too far,” Woojin says. It isn’t an apology. It isn’t even a question. He knows and acknowledges the fact but that is all. And Jihoon is fine with that much.

Woojin somehow manages to happen upon a small Greek restaurant with a sign in the window advertising free starters when customers purchase main courses from a set menu. Jihoon thinks it is funny how careful Woojin is about spending money on food considering all he does is eat out. Jihoon doesn’t believe anything about Woojin wanting to save money because a real struggling student would get creative in the kitchen or put up with eating one nutritionally-lacking meal a day. Jihoon knows what he is. He doesn't trust Woojin’s story.

Jihoon is carefully positioning his phone to be able to take photographs of the Keftedes he ordered on a whim when Woojin clears his throat. Jihoon snaps a picture that is too blurry for his liking but he supposes he should be polite and acknowledge Woojin.

“You’ve really helped me out a lot, you know,” Woojin says. “Doing my assignments for me has really taken off a ton of pressure.”

“I’m glad I could help,” Jihoon says blandly. It isn’t as though Woojin has been getting his assignments done for free. He has been buying lunches (and other meals too if Jihoon is honest but they always call it lunch no matter what time of day it is) and eating with Jihoon and ignoring his crush until now.

“But you have really done so much for me. I just wanted to let you know that you don’t need to do it anymore.”

“What?”

“We could get into trouble if someone finds out you have been doing my work for me,” Woojin shrugs. “I’ll try to be a good student from now on. You don’t need to do my work for me anymore.”

“Oh,” Jihoon says. In an instant he has lot his purpose, his excuse to exist in Woojin’s life. He can’t even be bothered to try to defend that position. It is for the best. He eats his meal without really tasting it and on the bus home he stares out of the window while Woojin listens to his music.

Jihoon is fully prepared to mourn his return to solitude, and he does that evening with a multipack of crisps and a tub of ice cream. He plans to do the same the next day only things don’t happen that way. He is summoned from his bed by one of his flatmates knocking on his door, irritated that they had to let someone else’s guest into the building. When Jihoon sees _his_ guest grinning affably and holding a Subway carrier bag he doesn't quite know what to make of it.

  
***

 

“I don’t see what the issue is,” Haknyeon murmurs sleepily when Jihoon calls him one night. Enough is enough and their tenuous internet friendship/healthy-rivalry involves them sharing their phone numbers with each other in case of emergencies. Thankfully Haknyeon is good enough to answer the phone in such emergencies. It would be a lot more use if he would listen to what Jihoon is telling him. “You’re gaining followers on your blog. They like reading your clumsy stories about how you got to eat the worst pizza in the world. I wish someone would buy me food.”

“You’re missing the point,” Jihoon sighs. “He made fun of me for fancying him. And now he forces me to eat lunch with him every day for no reason.”

“Is he forcing you?”

Jihoon supposes it isn’t strictly true seeing as he is warmly invited with smiles during lectures and text messages with winky faces on days off. But he doesn’t feel like he has a choice in whether he goes to lunch with Woojin. “You know his _friends_ have started talking to me now.”

“I don’t know if it is because it is late or because you’re being weird but I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me, Jihoon.”

“I should have known you wouldn’t understand,” Jihoon grumbles. It is exceedingly obvious that someone whose food blog uses the point-of-view of a toy pig would struggle to understand something so simple.

“What is there to not understand about the fact that you have a boyfriend, Jihoon?”

“What is there to not understand about the fact that I don’t, Haknyeon,” Jihoon retorts just as obnoxiously. Haknyeon shouldn’t be able to do that whilst on the cusp of sleep and it just makes Jihoon more annoyed that he can hear how sleepy Haknyeon while he is suffering from being too alert. “Please refer to blog posts ‘Do Not Bring a Date Here’ and ‘These Meatballs Make Me Want to Die More Than the Guy I Ate Them With’ for evidence.”

“I hope you’re going to set up some ad revenue if you keep telling me to click on blogs I have already read,” Haknyeon yawns. “Those were really funny though. You sound so pathetic.”

“You sound pathetic too,” Jihoon replies. It isn’t strictly true but he thinks he should say it anyway so he doesn’t feel like a complete loser on his own.

“This isn’t about me being pathetic,” Haknyeon said quietly. “You woke me up to tell me about how pathetic you are. You have a boyfriend now.”

“I don’t,” Jihoon says. “I just don’t get why he keeps hanging out with me and buying me lunch. I’m not even doing his assignments anymore. Why does he keep doing that?”

“You like food. Why wouldn’t he?”

“I like Woojin too,” Jihoon wails.

“Will you shut up?” Haknyeon grumbled. “I know you like him. Everyone who reads your stupid blog knows you like him. Has he read your blog? Has he seen how much of a loser you are?”

“Maybe I should show him your blog and then… What do you mean?” Jihoon asks. Haknyeon sighs and mumbles something that doesn't make any sense. Even if Haknyeon has already fallen asleep Jihoon is having a crisis. “Do you think he has seen my blog? I have written about him a lot seeing as he has been feeding me for months. Do you think he has seen all the things I have said about him? He has, hasn’t he? Haknyeon what am I supposed to do now?”

Predictably, Haknyeon doesn't reply. Jihoon is stuck on his own to roll around in bed and die of embarrassment.

 

***

 

“I have a blog,” Jihoon says quietly as he sits on the floor in Woojin’s dorm room. They’re both sitting on the floor eating ramen so it seems apt to bring up something else related to food.

Woojin’s mouth is full and he doesn’t even chew much as he glances at Jihoon. “Yeah, I know,” he says through mostly unchewed ramen.

“Oh,” Jihoon says. He wonders whether it is worth finishing this last meal before deciding to say his goodbyes, change his identity, and start up a blog from the point of view of a toy animal who is equally as pathetic as Jihoon. He stares down at his bowl and considers the fact that he could have continued on like this for far too long if Haknyeon hadn’t suggested (or slept through the suggestions) that Woojin knew all along how Jihoon felt.

“It’s funny,” Woojin says as he shoves more noodles into his mouth.

Jihoon has been aiming for funny, but that is for other people. He doesn't want Woojin to think that his soul-obliterating crush is funny. Other people are allowed to find his blog funny and commiserate and tell him about their own misadventures in fondness and gastronomy. The person who has been referenced multiple times (as the person who suggests going to hole in the wall places with dirty burgers and refurbishment gothic aesthetics, or simply mentioned as an aside when Jihoon compares the taste of coffee over his tongue to the bitterness of wanting to smile at the guy he likes whenever they pass each other) doesn’t have the right to find Jihoon’s pining funny.

“Is it funny?” Jihoon asks, gives Woojin a chance to not confirm the fact that Jihoon needs to drop out of uni and try his chances with cryptocurrency or online poker tournaments.

Woojin nods. “Yeah. It’s cute.”

“You read my blog?” Jihoon clarifies. “For how long?”

“I did some research,” Woojin shrugs. “I needed to have something to really convince you to help me out. You’re smart and I really needed someone to help with my assignments.”

“So you found my blog and decided that feeding me was going to guarantee my assistance?” Jihoon asks. What he really wants to know is why the feeding is continuing if that really is the case. He isn’t sure he is ready to ask something like that just yet. He has already received answers he wasn’t ready for from questions he hadn’t asked.

“Yeah,” Woojin says. “I couldn’t rely on the fact that I assumed that the person you liked was me.”

Woojin’s words are so blithe that Jihoon almost feels like he is overreacting for the way his eyes boggle and he splutters on a mouthful he is yet to take. Woojin continues as though Jihoon isn’t choking to death right beside him.

“Well I didn’t even consider that until after you started making posts about the food we ate together and mentioning me. But I couldn’t count on you wanting to do something nice because of the bond we developed from going to the same high school. You know, on account of the fact that we never spoke.”

Jihoon just about manages to breathe again though he isn’t sure it is worth it as he rasps, “Why are you reading my blog? That’s private!”

“It’s private? You telling hundreds of strangers on the internet about our dates is private?”

Jihoon is very tempted to throw the remaining ramen in his bowl at Woojin. If anything it would minimise his choking risk and maybe incapacitate Woojin for long enough for Jihoon to end his own suffering.

“What are you talking about? Dates?”

Woojin slurps down his remaining noodles and nods as he fetches something from underneath his bed. When Woojin turns around to reveal what was under his bed Jihoon realises that he absolutely must murder him and become a dark web hitman.

Woojin holds up a fluffy babypink bunny and pretends to cough. “This is a very nice place for a date!”

Woojin holds up a fuzzy turquoise penguin. “Wow! Maybe we should date if it is that easy!”

“What are you doing?” Jihoon asks.

The bunny talks again. “The love of my life won’t stop taking me on cheap dates, what should I do?”

Then the penguin. “Wow, poor Jihoon is really struggling with things and it is my fault. I can’t let him shoulder this burden even if I have really enjoyed our cheap dates together.”

“Woojin-”

“Shush,” Woojin says very seriously. “We’re talking.”

Jihoon puts down his bowl without dumping it over Woojin’s head and gently takes the bunny from Woojin’s hand. He feels stupid but Woojin smiles almost shyly at him and it’s awful. He can’t even bring himself to put on a stupid voice for the sake of this puppet show.

“What do you mean about dates?”

“You’re the one who brought it up first,” Woojin says. “Whether we’re dating or not I can’t let you struggle and ruin your future.”

Jihoon’s hands fall into his lap and he feels even more stupid than before. “You heard?” Woojin doesn’t respond and Jihoon lifts the stupid toy, wondering why Woojin has these, whether he bought them on the day he cancelled the arrangement. “Were you listening to the meeting I had with Jonghyun?”

“Yeah,” Woojin admits. “I got curious and realised how much of a twat I was being. So.”

“So what?”

“So I should do my own work. Even if it takes away my excuse to spend time with you.”

“But you have still been spending time with me.”

“Yeah,” Woojin agrees. “I suppose I didn’t need that much of an excuse. But I would like a different excuse.”

  
“What sort of excuse?” Jihoon asks, feeling far more hopeful than he has in a long time. Woojin doesn’t say anything and Jihoon decides that he doesn’t have much to lose if Woojin is being like this. He presses the bunny’s nose against the penguin’s beak and Woojin chuckles softly.

“Yeah. I want that kind of excuse.”

Jihoon can work with wishes like those. He wants that kind of excuse too, has for far too long. He really doesn’t have anything to lose as he curls his hand around the back of Woojin’s neck and leans in to kiss him softly.

  


**Author's Note:**

> an au where university students can afford to regularly eat out


End file.
